Chris T. Sullivan

Chris T. Sullivan (born February 15, 1948, in Lake City, Florida) is one of the founders of Outback Steakhouse and OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC. He also formerly held the titles of director and chairman. He is currently a board member at Bloomin' Brands.

Early life and education Sullivan attended Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland and then the University of Kentucky, where he graduated with a BS in business and economics in 1972. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Sullivan's restaurant management career began in 1972 as restaurant manager trainee in the Steak & Ale restaurant group.

Career Sullivan and co-founders Bob Basham, Tim Gannon and Trudy Cooper opened the first Outback Steakhouse in March 1988. His management of the company saw the chain expand into a worldwide company, with more than 900 restaurants worldwide.

In 2009, he was acting mentor to Virginia-based restaurant chain Café Caturra.

In recent times, Sullivan has moved into investment; in April 2015, Sullivan led a $2.2 million funding round for the tech startup SiteZeus, a company that automates the site selection process for the restaurant, retail and hospitality industries.

In addition to his current roles, Sullivan serves several organisations in various positions including Florida Council of 100 Executive Committee, the Florida Chamber of Commerce; the board of for the Florida Council on Economic Education, Lowry Park Zoological Endowment Foundation; chairman's board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; co-chair and board of Kentucky Speedway; the advisory board for the Salvation Army; and vice chairman for Scripps Florida's funding board; and the Employment Policies Institute.

In 2014, Sullivan was inducted into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

Personal life Sullivan has a passion for golf and along with Outback co-founder Bob Basham and friend Bob Merritt, he established a golfer's club in 1997, Old Memorial Golf Club. He lives in Tampa, Florida and has two children, Alex and Ashley.